Royal Hanoverian Armed Forces
The Royal Hanoverian Armed Forces ( : Königlich Hannoversche Streitkräfte) are the military defense forces of the Kingdom of Hanover. According to the Hanoverian constitution, the King of Hanover serves as the of the armed forces. As of January 2017 the Hanoverian Armed Forces had a total of 34,700 personnel, divided into three branches: the Army (Armee), Navy (Marine), and Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte). In addition, there is also a Home Guard (Landwehr) which serves as a and reserve. The kingdom spends about US$8.6 billion on defense (3.3% of its GDP), making it the 29th best-funded military in the world. Role and doctrine The role of the Royal Hanoverian Armed Forces is, as established by the Constitution of Hanover, to defend the Kingdom's sovereignty, and is strictly defensive. However, in 1985 the Constitutional Court ruled that eliminating security threats to the country abroad qualifies as defense as well. Personnel Training Ranks Army and Air Force Enlisted *'Schütze'/'Flieger' or equivalent rank – Private/Airman Basic/Aircraftman or equivalent rank *'Gefreiter' – Private/Airman E2 *'Obergefreiter' – Private First Class / Airman First Class *'Hauptgefreiter' – Lance Corporal / Senior Airman *'Stabsgefreiter' – Corporal *'Oberstabsgefreiter' – Specialist / Master Corporal Non-commissioned officers *'Unteroffizier' – Sergeant *'Stabsunteroffizier' – Staff Sergeant *'Feldwebel' – Senior Sergeant / Flight Sergeant *'Oberfeldwebel' – Technical or Tech Sergeant / Flight Sergeant *'Hauptfeldwebel' – Master Sergeant / Sergeant First Class *'Stabsfeldwebel' – Senior Master Sergeant / Quartermaster Sergeant *'Oberstabsfeldwebel' – Chief Master Sergeant / Sergeant Major Officer cadets *'Fahnenjunker'- Cadet / Officer Candidate (with the rank of Sergeant) *'Fähnrich' – Ensign (with the rank of Staff Sergeant) *'Oberfähnrich' – Senior Ensign (with the rank of Sergeant First Class) Officers *'Leutnant' – 2nd Lieutenant *'Oberleutnant' – 1st Lieutenant/Lieutenant *'Hauptmann' – Captain *'Stabshauptmann' – Staff Captain *'Major' *'Oberstleutnant' – Lieutenant Colonel *'Oberst' – Colonel *'Generalmajor' – Major General *'Generalleutnant' – Lieutenant General *'General (der Infanterie, Artillerie, Panzertruppen)' – General (of the branch, i.e. Infantry, Artillery, etc.) *'Generaloberst' – Colonel General *'Generalfeldmarschall' – General Field Marshal Navy Enlisted *'Matrose' – Seaman Recruit *'Gefreiter' – Seaman Apprentice *'Obergefreiter' – Seaman *'Hauptgefreiter' – Able Seaman *'Stabsgefreiter' – Leading Seaman *'Oberstabsgefreiter' – Master Seaman Non-commissioned officers *'Maat' – Petty Officer 3rd Class *'Obermaat' – Petty Officer 2nd Class *'Bootsmann' – Petty Officer 1st Class *'Oberbootsmann' – Chief Petty Officer *'Hauptbootsmann' – Senior Chief Petty Officer *'Stabsbootsmann' – Master Chief Petty Officer *'Oberstabsbootsmann' – Master Chief Petty Officer, Fleet/Force Master Chief Petty Officer Officer cadets *'Seekadett' – Sea Cadet in the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class *'Fähnrich zur See' – Midshipman 2nd class in the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class *'Oberfähnrich zur See' – Midshipman 1st class in the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer Officers *'Leutnant zur See' – Lieutenant at Sea *'Oberleutnant zur See' – Senior Lieutenant at Sea *'Kapitänleutnant' – Captain Lieutenant *'Stabskapitänleutnant' – Staff Captain Lieutenant *'Korvettenkapitän' – Corvette Captain *'Fregattenkapitän' – Frigate Captain *'Kapitän zur See' – Captain at Sea *'Konteradmiral' – Counter Admiral, Rear Admiral *'Vizeadmiral' – Vice Admiral *'Admiral' *'Generaladmiral' – General Admiral *'Flottenadmiral' – Fleet Admiral Organization The armed forces are under the overall command of the King of Hanover, who is the commander-in-chief. They are administered by the Ministry of Defense (Ministerium der Verteidigung). Below it is the General Staff (Generalstab) for the Army, Air Force, and Home Guard, and the Admiralty Staff (Admiralstab) for the Navy. These two organizations coordinate for long-term strategic and operational planning of their respective branches. International deployments * **MONUSCO **58 personnel * **NTM-I **20 instructors * **UNMIS **12 experts Category:Military of Hanover Category:Hanover Category:Military